MoviesI
know this section is usually titled music and movies, but since this
player oddly doesn’t recognize CDs, I’ve opted to go straight to
movies. I started off with the included disc, The Fifth Element. I now
own four copies of this disc, one standard DVD, one Superbit version,
the Blu-ray disc version that I bought when I got the Samsung BDP-1000,
and now I have a free copy with my new Sony BDP-S1. It seemed a logical
first movie, as I could cue it up in multiple players simultaneously
and compare them all quickly. To give the DVD its best chance, I used
the Superbit version. I cued it up in my Meridian G98 and put the
Blu-ray versions in my Samsung BDP-1000 and the Sony BDP-S1. Going back
and forth, it quickly became apparent which one was the video winner.
The Sony player had far more detail and an overall more realistic and
three-dimensional image than either of the other two. The Meridian DVD
player upsampling to 1080p looked almost as good as the Samsung Blu-ray
player, only beaten out by some distinction of fine details, but on the
Sony, the detail was inspiring. During the famed aria scene, the Sony
clearly displayed each fleck of glitter on the diva’s face, and the
texture of her outfit was spectacular. You could easily see the
definition of the wrinkles in her lips and the sides of her face. The
texture of the apparently alligator leather on the case that was
supposed to house the four stones was unbelievable, and color
saturation was rich and lush. You could even perceive the wood grain
around the door of the diva’s room. I saw more detail on the Sony than
I have ever seen before in this film, and more than I ever knew could
be seen at home. I could even see the threads in the actors’ clothing,
while on the Samsung Blu-ray player, I only got a hint of it.
Throughout this movie, surround effects and the sound in general were
excellent, easily rivaling any DVD player I’ve heard in this price
range.

I have long used XXX (Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment) as a demo
disc. The opening scene is a favorite of mine and has a great test of
surround sound as the arrow flies from the left rear to front center of
your room. The first time I played this scene with the Sony BDP-S1, it
made me stand at attention. I did see a bit of grain in this film, but
the fine detail I noticed in The Fifth Element was present here,
amazing and then some. When Xander woke up in the diner, the close-up
of his arm was so detailed I could tell the tattoos are drawn on, and
when Gibbons clapped, the rocks behind him were so crisp and clear they
seemed to be actually in front of me, while the divots in his face
where almost scary. The detail in the pans through Prague astounded me;
again, they were so clear it was as though I was there, looking at them
in real life. I compared this disc through both the Samsung Blu-ray
player and the Sony. Again, the Sony won. In the opera house, the Sony
showed each speck of dust surrounding Gibbons’ head with a
three-dimensionality I’ve never witnessed in a home theater before. The
Samsung was better than the DVD version, but lacked the distinction of
the Sony. I tried the Superbit version of this film in the Sony to test
its upconversion and it did a great job, though it lacked the finer
details and was a significant step down from the Blu-ray version in the
Sony, adding more grain and motion artifacts, as well as having a
slight issue with edge detail. The bolts of electricity in Yorgi’s
second club had an amazing flare to them on the unconverted version of
the Superbit disc. Eight months ago, I would have been amazed, but I
had just watched the Blu-ray version first, and though it was
excellent, it now left me under-impressed. However, the Blu-ray version
of this scene is truly awe-inspiring.

I wanted to see how good Blu-ray could really look. So far, it seemed I
was limited by the quality of software, which ranged from good to
unbelievable. I opted next for X-Men 3: The Last Stand (20th Century
Fox Home Entertainment). I figured that as it was a newer film, it
should have the finest image, and I was right. Gone was the grain I
found in my first two films, and present was even more clarity and
detail. The shots of the outside of Xavier University were absolutely
stunning. I have never seen a better image than with the exterior
shots, which showed rich greens, purples and whites, with fine
distinction on all the plants and vines. The stones of the buildings
exhibited a palpable texture. During the scene when Scott goes to the
lake to meet Jean Grey, you can see every stitch in his leather jacket
and every whisker on his unshaven face. The scene in Jean’s house is
truly off the charts, showing lightning-fast action and unbelievable
detail without falter. I cannot say enough good things about the film
reproduction of this player. The image quality was stunning, from the
texture of the roads and skin of the actors to ultra-fast motion, rich
colors and excellent black levels with the smoothest motion I have ever
seen, seeming not to suffer from any motion artifacts whatsoever.